×

This article on Epainassist.com has been reviewed by a medical professional, as well as checked for facts, to assure the readers the best possible accuracy.

We follow a strict editorial policy and we have a zero-tolerance policy regarding any level of plagiarism. Our articles are resourced from reputable online pages. This article may contains scientific references. The numbers in the parentheses (1, 2, 3) are clickable links to peer-reviewed scientific papers.

The feedback link “Was this Article Helpful” on this page can be used to report content that is not accurate, up-to-date or questionable in any manner.

This article does not provide medical advice.

1

Can I Get Disability For Occupational Asthma & How Much Can I Get?

The most widespread lasting infection in both children and adults is asthma. Nearly 6% of adults and 8-10% of kids have asthma and many new people uncovering out they have asthma each year. Occupational asthma is a lung disease caused or made worse by exposure to substances in the workplace.

If you have asthma, Social Security disability subsidies might be obtainable. To ascertain whether you are incapacitated by asthma, the Social Security Organization initially contemplates whether your asthma is serious to convene the Sequential Assessment Procedure.

Can I Get Disability Benefits For Occupational Asthma?

Can I Get Disability Benefits For Occupational Asthma?

An asthma sufferer who takes a deep breath often finds that his or her airways shrink or even go into contraction. When the airways intensify, the asthmatic is gasping, whispers, and sometimes gulps for air. An employee who has a perpetual injury due to occupational asthma is eligible for a non-economic loss (NEL) subsidy, depending on the intensity of the employee’s perpetual injury.

Most individuals who apply for disability based on asthma, nevertheless, are saddened since they get refused. This is because asthma can often be treated effectively with medication. Nevertheless, some asthmatic suffers from acute asthma attacks that can’t be regulated with at-home medicine or therapy.1,2

When Does An Asthma Sufferer Qualify For Disability Benefits?

Occupational asthma is now commonly identified as a work-related disorder. If you are exposed to irritants in the workplace environment that can induce asthma, or if you have been in the past you may qualify to receive workers’ compensation benefits. Nevertheless, the primary concern to be eligible for worker’s compensation with asthma is to show that you perished to the illness because of workroom exposure instead of other environmental contaminants and toxins such as second-hand smoke.

There are few guidelines with which you can determine whether you are eligible to get the disability benefits

  • in a one-year period, you must have had three exacerbations or complications requiring hospitalization for at least 48 hours each. The hospitalizations must have occurred at least 30 days apart.
  • Your FEV1 value (the result of a lung function test) must be low for your age, gender and height (according to Social Security’s chart in its asthma listing).
  • If you are suffering from chronic bronchitis in addition to asthma, you may be entitled to get the disability benefits. This will be confirmed based on lung functioning and breathing test results.3

How Much Can I Get For The Disability?

In most cases, veterans seeking service connection for Occupational asthma must show three things:

  • A current medical diagnosis for asthma from a qualified professional.
  • An in-service event, injury, or symptom.
  • A medical “nexus,” or link, between their asthma diagnosis and the in-service occurrence.

Based on the severity of the condition (judged, on average, to be moderate, with mild-to-moderate impairments in quality of life), the asthmatic will be assigned a percentage disability rating. Current guidelines provide for a disability rating of 0% to 5% for those workers whose skin disorder signs and symptoms are present or intermittently present, require no or intermittent treatment, and who suffer no or few limitations in the performance of their activities of daily living.

Arguably, it would appear reasonable to provide an asymptomatic worker, who must avoid certain workplaces containing a triggering substance, with a disability rating of 1% to 2%. A worker with an allergy or sensitivity to a ubiquitous agent, such as rubber latex, would receive a higher disability rating than a worker who is sensitized to a substance that is found only in a specific workplace.4,5

References:

  1. Asthma and Social Security Disability https://www.disability-benefits-help.org/disabling-conditions/asthma-and-social-security-disability
  2. Assessment of impairment/disability due to occupational asthma through a multidimensional approach https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/29/5/889
  3. Can I Work With Asthma? https://www.disabilitybenefitscenter.org/disability-work/asthma
  4. Can You Get SSDI or SSI Disability for Asthma? https://www.disabilitysecrets.com/win-can-you-get-disability-for-asthma.html
  5. Compensation for Occupational Asthma and Contact Dermatitis http://www.owtlibrary.on.ca/Catalogued_PDF/ED%20284.pdf

Also Read:

Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:August 3, 2022

Recent Posts

Related Posts